This is my own take on world, national, state, AND local events. It may seem scatter-brained for me to talk about Iraq, gay rights issues, and the state of the Democratic Party in Central Orange County all in the same week... But I like to think of it as an eclectic mix of various important issues.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Diane Harkey & the Dana Point Conspiracies

Apparently, Dana Point Mayor Diane Harkey has been seeing black helicopters in the sky for quite some time. Last week, the Recall Diane Harkey campaign released a voicemail that Harkey had left to a former supporter, in which she was accusing one of her colleagues on the city council of conspiring with certain constituents who were "out to get" her. Take a listen for yourself, and you'll wonder why you can't hear the black helicopters in the background.

Dana Reed is an election law attorney based in Los Angeles. He once ran for State Senate in a Republican Primary in Orange County against John Lewis years ago, but he unfortunately lost. However, he has more than made up for that loss in building quite a lucrative law firm that represents many Republican candidates for office and Native American Casinos in their legal battles.

Darryl R. Wold is listed as "of counsel" to Dana's law firm and on the firm web site, and is therefore a lawyer paid by the firm. Wold is also Harkey's personal election lawyer. Notice the numerous payments directly to Wold by Harkey's 2006 State Senate campaign. Harkey's Senate campaign paid Wold $15,600 for his services, and her City Council committee paid Wold $2,370 in 2006. Oh yes, and Wold's boss, Dana Reed, gave Harkey $250, which is listed in her most recent disclosure report for her Assembly campaign. So there we have it, we now know who's behind this "Dana Point Today" nonsense.

But for some reason, Diane Harkey won't take any credit for the fine PR work that she and her supporters have done for her campaign. In a recent email response, she just claimed that this is all the product of the "wild imagination" of one former council member. But wait, how could that be? Could Jim lacy truly have fabricated all the reports on the Secretary of State's web site? And did Debra Bowen fabricate all these reports as if she were really "out to get" Diane Harkey?

It's bad enough that Diane Harkey feels that she must deceive Dana Point residents into voting for her by having her supporters create an "official-looking newsletter" that's actually acting as a campaign flyer. But then, Harkey and her supporters won't even admit that they're the ones behind "Dana Point Today". So what are they afraid of? Are they afraid of facing misdemeanor charges for violating Dana Point Municipal Code Chapter 1.04?

1.04.070 Penalties.

Any person or persons violating the provisions of Sections 1.04.010 through 1.04.050 shall be guilty of an offense chargeable as a misdemeanor and subject to punishment in accordance with Section 1.01.200 of this Code. Each and every day during any portion of which the provisions of Sections 1.04.010 through 1.04.050 are violated, shall constitute a separate offense and may be punished accordingly. (Added by Ord. 93-01, 1/12/93).

Hmmm, that wouldn't look good for someone running for State Assembly! Wouldn't the Dana Point Mayor know better than to misuse the city seal for a partisan campaign? And wouldn't she also tell her campaign advisers, consultants, and attorneys to not misuse the city seal in the way they have now done? There's something so wrong about a mayor misusing her own city seal for something that definitely is NOT "official city business".

But wait, what's wrong with all of this doesn't end with the city seal. There is a bigger issue of trust here. This is yet another example of Diane Harkey betraying the trust of her own community. The people who received this "newsletter" are being duped into thinking that this is nonpartisan information. But now, we know that this "newsletter" is actually tied to a partisan political campaign. This may not just involve an illegal use of the city seal, but also a very unethical ploy to gain votes in a State Assembly race. And I don't know how else to say this, but that's just wrong.

So perhaps there really is a strange conspiracy going on in Dana Point, one that's deceiving voters into believing what's false and dismissing what's true. And maybe, just maybe, this conspiracy is happening totally "under the radar". No wonder why Diane Harkey senses those black helicopters.

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About Me

I am a student, an activist, and a blogger. I enjoy good books (e.g. Atwood, Eco, Morrison), great music (anything from Celia Cruz to the Grateful Dead), and new adventures. When I am not studying or enjoying other aspects of my life, I am also a hard-core progressive Democrat. I do my best to support great candidates and push forward great ideas.